


agápe, n: unconditional love

by SoVeryAverageMe



Series: Own Kind of Love [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Familial Relationships, Gen, Good Parent Regis Lucis Caelum, Mentioned Prompto Argentum, Noctis learning what it means to be Prince, Noctis' birthday, Prompto is a good friend, Secret Passages, Sort of Brotherhood Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:20:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22731625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoVeryAverageMe/pseuds/SoVeryAverageMe
Summary: They were hundreds of feet in the air, squeezed into some hidden alcove at the top of the Citadel. He could see for miles and miles. People were like ants, scurrying back and forth, and he could even see the Wall shimmering in the distance. It was indescribable.“What—What is this?” his voice was filled with awe, mind overwhelmed by the view and barely coherent enough to form words.“That’s Insomnia, and, further out beyond the Wall, all of Lucis,” His father was a steady presence behind him. A solemn hand was placed on his shoulder. “Someday, this will all be yours.”(Or, Regis tries to teach Noctis what it means to be royalty, and Noctis returns to the same place, alone, many years later when he finally understands).
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum & Insomnia, Noctis Lucis Caelum & Regis Lucis Caelum
Series: Own Kind of Love [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1634569
Kudos: 24





	agápe, n: unconditional love

**Author's Note:**

> This is not exactly what I expected my first fic for FFXV to be, but it's what is being posted. (At some point, I will finish the long fic). 
> 
> I've never played the game, so if there's small details wrong, that's why. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy.

Regis held his hand as Noctis hopped up the stairs. It was his sixth birthday, and his father had taken the day off any royal duties to spend it with the Prince. After an extravagant breakfast and a few gifts from several of the Crownsguard, his father had said that he had a surprise for him.

Bursting with excitement, he quickly changed into some casual clothes, knowing that the family tailor would reprimand him if he ruined his suit for the party that would be held in his name later that evening. There was a knock on his bedroom door, and he ran past the servant to answer it.

His father was standing outside in a simple pair of pants and a button-up shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. The only sign of his royal standing was the Ring of Lucii on his finger, and the black embroidered cloak resting around his shoulders. He held a hand out to Noctis. “Are you ready, son?”

Happiness burst through him. Even at age six, he knew that it was a rare occasion to have all of his father’s attention directed toward him. While the King was always there for breakfast and dinner, Noctis spent the rest of his day surrounded by servants, tutors, and the Crownsguard.

He raised his arms, jumping up and down in front of his father. Regis laughed and picked up Noctis, swinging him a slow circle before putting him down and patting the top of his head. “We best be on our way, then.”

“Where are we going?” Noctis asked, grabbing his father’s hand and swinging it back and forth as they went made their way down the hallway.

They stopped and Regis knelt down to be face-level with him. “It’s a surprise, my dear boy. Do you trust me?”

“Of course, Dad!” He gave a bright smile, which was returned. Instead of turning left to make their way into the public part of the Citadel, his farther tugged him toward the right, taking them deeper into the bowels of the residential wing.

They passed fewer and fewer people as they trekked through the ornate hallways, his father twisting and turning through them with ease, while Noctis was completely lost. Eventually, they got to the end of a long hallway, with no guards in sight.

Noctis looked around – he had never seen this part of the Citadel before. “Did we go the wrong way? There’s nothing here.”

Regis pulled them to a stop in front of the wall at the end of the hallway. Glancing down at his son, he smiled. “Lesson number one for the birthday boy: appearances can be deceiving.”

He turned away from Noctis, checking the empty hallway for any prying eyes, before facing the wall again. Winking at his son, he quickly pressed a series of bricks and stepped back. Noctis shifted from side-to-side, peering around his father, but nothing happened.

He started to tug on Regis’ cloak until a groaning sound came from within the walls. With a great mechanical whir a section of the wall slide away to reveal a staircase. “Woah,” he exhaled, eyes wide and mouth dropped open.

Grabbing Noctis’ hand, Regis tugged him forward into the secret passage. They started walking up the stairs, and the door slid closed behind them, plunging the passageway into darkness.

Noctis couldn’t help but let out a whimper of fear. He felt his dad pull him closer, and saw the bright blue sparks of the Armiger appear in his other hand. Flicking on a flashlight, he held out a smaller one for Noctis to grab. “Come on. We still have a ways to go.”

The staircase got narrower and narrow towards the top. Noctis lost track of how many times it zigzagged back and forth, a veritable maze inside the deepest part of the Citadel. His father held his hand the entire time, even catching him when he tripped over an uneven step.

Eventually, when Noctis’ legs were burning with exertion, they reached a landing at the highest point. Behind them there were stairs and ahead of them was a single, thick, steel door.

Regis stood in front of the door and took a deep breath, as if bracing himself. He turned toward Noctis, once again kneeling so they were the same height. “You should close your eyes. It’s going to be bright out there.”

Noctis dutifully followed his father’s instructions. “Where are we?”

“Be patient.” Even though he couldn’t see him, Noctis could still imagine the sly grin that his dad was probably sporting. He heard the door creak open, his father groaning at the effort. He felt his father gently grasp the back of his shoulders and lead him through the doorway. Light hit his eyes, tempting him to open them, but he followed his father’s directions and kept them closed.

He breathed in fresh air, a welcome change from the musty smell of the secret passage. Regis pulled them to a stop. “Can I open my eyes now, Dad?”

His father rotated him slightly to the right, so he was facing directly into the wind. “You can, but slowly.”

The sunlight temporarily blinded him. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the bright spots that had appeared. When it finally felt like he could see again, he opened his eyes and gasped.

They were hundreds of feet in the air, squeezed into some hidden alcove at the top of the Citadel. He could see for miles and miles. People were like ants, scurrying back and forth, and he could even see the Wall shimmering in the distance. It was indescribable.

“What—What is this?” his voice was filled with awe, mind overwhelmed by the view and barely coherent enough to form words.

“That’s Insomnia, and, further out beyond the Wall, all of Lucis,” His father was a steady presence behind him. A solemn hand was placed on his shoulder. “Someday, this will all be yours.”

“Wow.” Noctis still felt overwhelmed. “It’s like we can see everything from up here.”

“I loved to hide up here when I was a kid. It drove the guards crazy.” Regis gave him a sly smile. “It’s sort of a royal family secret. It’s important to us.”

“So, why did you finally decide to show it to me?” Noctis thought that he managed to stop his voice from shaking, but the squeeze of his father’s hand indicated otherwise.

“You know,” Regis scanned the horizon, “my father first took me up here when I was about your age.”

“He did?”

“Yeah,” he urged them further toward the edge of the landing. “He told me that the job of being King, of ruling, could be trying and cruel and unfair, but _this_ ,” he said, gesturing the city around them, “is why we do it.”

A railing had been installed at the edge, and Noctis reached out to grab it, leaning to try to get a better view. He took a shaky breathe.

“Insomnia is our home, but it is so much greater than that,” his father continued, “We must love her and her citizens as our own. To fight for their lives, their love, and their loyalty. Above all, we are Insomnia’s first and last guardians. We must remember that.”

Noctis gasped, using a trembling hand to discreetly wipe a tear away. “And it’s worth it?”

“Everyday, my son.” Both of them fell silent, just content with taking in the view.

“Dad?” Noctis voice was quiet, trying not to break the atmosphere.

He felt an arm around his shoulder, and he burrowed into the warmth of it until his dad put part of his cloak around him. “Yeah, Noct?”

“Could you show me how to get up here by myself?”

Regis took one last look at the view, before turning his body toward Noctis. He wrapped his arms around him, kissing the top of his head. “There is nothing I rather spend the rest of my day doing.”

“Thanks, Dad,” he said, turning to look at the King before getting distracted by the expansive view. Maybe it was all in his imagination, but he thought that if he looked hard enough he could see the Crownsguard training in the gardens, and, even further out, the roof of his elementary school. He wanted to keep looking at Insomnia forever.

He felt another kiss on the top of his head. “Happy birthday, Noctis.”

* * *

The last time that he ever went up to the top of the Citadel was a few days before his trip to Altissia.

He had snuck away from the preparation meetings, the overbearing Crownsguard, and the visiting dignitaries who had arrived early for the peace treaty with Niflheim. The exhaustion of the last couple weeks had finally burned him out, and all he wanted was a minute to himself. A moment were he could be alone in his thoughts— where he could be just Noctis, and not The Prince.

Noctis slipped past Ignis when he was distracted with making sure that Prompto would have a proper Crownsguard outfit in time for their road trip, and sped his way through the Citadel, hoping to make it into the secret passage before anyone noticed he was gone.

He waved off one guard, promising that he was just going to the bathroom. Ignis was going to get pissed at him about that, but he didn’t feel too bad in the moment. Reaching the end of the abandoned hallway, he looked around one last time to make sure he was alone. It was muscle memory that allowed him to punch in the code without looking at the wall.

The door to the passage opened, the inner mechanisms creaking with the effort. Noctis slipped into the secret staircase, sighing with relief when the door closed behind him. Now it was him, not his father, that pulled a flashlight from the Armiger when he started to ascend the stairs.

Once he got to the top, he burst out the door, not even caring about the blinding light. Clearing the spots from his vision, the Crown City came into focus below him. He let out a deep breath and collapsed against the wall of the Citadel, sliding down into a sitting position.

The view was still as magnificent as it was when he was six years old. But now he knew what it meant to be the Prince; what it would mean to be the King. His father hadn’t been up to the alcove in years, the Wall taking too much of a toll on his body for him to be able to waste energy on climbing the narrow staircase. He truly was alone.

His entire life would be upended in the next few months. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to be married to Lunafreya. Ready to leave the Crown City. Or, ready to be King. In so many ways he still felt like that same child that walked up the secret passage for the first time. A kid just happy to spend the day with his father.

“I hope I make you proud, Dad,” he said into the wind. It wasn’t like there was anyone around to hear him.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He furrowed his eyebrows – he had muted his text notifications when he had snuck away. Prompto had messaged him using King’s Knight: _yo iggy is like freaking out. he just ran out of my fitting. u okay?_

Noctis smiled, and responded: _i’m fine. just needed some air._

_k. fyi i think iggy’s getting gladio. will try to distract them._

A few seconds later another text came through.

_also pls send help. the tailor keeps poking me w/ needles and asking questions. iggy abandoned me!!!_

He laughed, thinking about how Prompto would react to being with the royal tailor. Ignis and Gladio would be worrying about him, but Prompto would interrupt them with some ridiculous story, before caving and admitting he knew that Noctis was okay.

And, he _would_ be okay.

Insomnia was worth fighting for. Lucis was worth fighting for. Her citizens were more than worth fighting for. He had a responsibility to them as their Crown Prince. He would always be there to save Insomnia. He had to be. This place carried its own kind of love, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Feel free to check out what I'm up to on other parts of the internet (I'm usually procrastinating on [twitter](https://twitter.com/SoVeryAverageMe) or [tumblr](https://soveryaverageme.tumblr.com/)).


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